


The Mountie Hope Valley Deserves

by Catrowline



Category: When Calls the Heart (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23102809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catrowline/pseuds/Catrowline
Summary: A telegram changes Elizabeth's life for the better. Jack Jr might finally have a father.
Relationships: Elizabeth Thatcher/Jack Thornton, Frank Hogan/Abigail Stanton, Leland Coulter/Rosemary LeVeaux
Comments: 11
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth watched the bustling street fondly, remembering how it used to be quiet and small, just a small slice of what it could be. Coal Valley used to be a sad town, and had since turned into a town of joy and happiness, even its name reflecting this optic: Hope Valley.

But there would always be something missing in this town.

The new Mountie, Nathan Grant, was a good man, with good values and honor, but he'd never be Jack. 

He knew it, Elizabeth knew it, the entire town knew it. 

There had just been something about Jack that could never be replaced, no matter how hard the Mounties tried. 

A sharp call of her name pulled Elizabeth out of her reverie. She turned with a smile, only for her eyes to fall on Nathan. His face was from and anxious, and he held a telegram in his hand. Elizabeth frowned.

"Constable, is everything all right?" she said slowly.

Nathan took a deep breath. 

"Come with me, Elizabeth. You might want to sit down for this."

He led her down to Abigail's cafe, securing them a table. He handed her the telegram without a word.

_Have found a man who strongly resembles Jack Thornton. Have yet had the chance to speak to him. Let wife know as soon as possible._

Elizabeth looked up from the paper, her face as white as the tablecloth adorning the table in front of her.

"Nathan, what is this?" She asked softly. 

The Mountie sighed.

"Your husband's funeral was a closed casket, wasn't it?"

She nodded. 

"That's because his body was never found in the rubble from the landslide. A few months back, we went back to clean the mess, and there were clear signs of someone crawling their way out of the dirt. We know his death was years ago, so we don't understand why he didn't come back here after he made his way out."

Elizabeth stifled a sob, her entire body aching to feel Jack's touch again. 

"And now, you've found him?" 

"We sent out many men who knew him to canvas the country; he was an incredible Mountie and we owe it to him, to you and your son to do everything in our power to bring him home." 

"Why are you telling me this now?" 

"Because we need you to come and confirm whether it is indeed him that Constable Andrews has found or if we need to continue the search."

He paused, looking at her intently. 

"Are you up for it?"

"Of course I am, Nathan. I haven't prayed every night for God to grant me a miracle and send him home to me for me not to go and get him myself."


	2. Chapter 2

Elizabeth wasted no time in getting herself and Bill Avery on a stagecoach at Nathan's behest.

"I would go with you, but he doesn't know me. When you arrive in Brownsville, ask for Constable Andrews. He was the one who found the man who could be your husband," he recommended as she climbed into the stagecoach.

Abigail stepped up then, squeezing Elizabeth's hand.

"Bring him home to us, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'll do my best, Abigail."

The schoolteacher looked at the little boy holding Cody's hand. "Now, Little Jack, you'll be good for Auntie Abby, won't you?"

The five-year old boy grinned widely. "Yes Mama! I promise!"

Cody chuckled. The seventeen year-old young man had taken Little Jack under his wing, as his own little brother, and never let him out of his sight.

"Don't worry, Miss Elizabeth, I'll take care of him. Bring Mountie Jack back to Hope Valley!"

Jack ran the saw through the wooden plank. He knew his name was Jack but that was it. He couldn't remember anything from before he clawed his way out of the pile of dirt that had nearly suffocated him to death, except for one word.

Elizabeth.

That name was the most important thing in his life, he knew it, but had no clue what it meant.

Was it his mother's name? His sister's? Daughter's? Wife's? He had only questions, never answers.

Wife was the answer that made most sense, judging by the ring on his finger. The inscription read _Love is Patient_. If that was true, then he had nothing to worry about.

He knew he was drawn to building, but didn't know why either. For some reason sawmills meant something to him, but again the reason why was hidden to him.

There was news of a stagecoach coming into Brownsville, but Jack didn't care. All he wanted was his memory back, and for that he needed to stay alive, and for that he needed to work.

Elizabeth led Bill through the streets of Brownsville, barely seeing anything except the sign reading 'Sheriff's office'. She pushed open the door to find a man in red serge with short cropped blond hair, clearly waiting for them. He extended his hand.

"Constable Andrews, at your service. You must be Mrs.Thornton and Mr. Avery?"

Bill nodded. "Yes. Where is Jack?"

Andrews stepped in front of them, holding the door open. "At the sawmill. But be careful, he might not be your husband, Ma'am."

"I'll take my chances," sighed Elizabeth.

They walked briskly to the livery, renting two horses as the Mountie rode his own. They galloped behind him, Elizabeth feeling she was getting closer to her husband.

They dismounted in front of the sawmill, and Andrews went to speak to the general manager to find Jack. The man in charge, a bulky, strong man, pointed the trio to a man whose back was turned to them, but shook his head.

"I dunno what he's done, Constable, but you'll get nothing out of him. He's lost his memory."

Elizabeth choked out a sob. He didn't remember! It explained why he hadn't come home. He might not remember her, or Rosemary, or Bill, Lee, Cody, anything. But she had to try.

She swiftly picked her skirts, rushing over to him, tapping him gently on the shoulder. He turned to her, sawdust covering his face. It was so like when they had met, except all those years ago it had been her who had chalk dust on her own nose.

"Jack?" She asked. Jack frowned, his eyes roaming across her face.

"You look… familiar… I've seen you in my dreams," he whispered.

"Jack, it's me, Elizabeth."

His knees gave out beneath him, causing him to drop a knee to the ground.

"Elizabeth?" He murmured. "You're… important… I know you are… who are you to me?"

"I'm your wife, Jack. Our rings have a paired inscription: _Love is Patient, Love is Kind_."


	3. Chapter 3

It was her. It was her. It was her. 

His heart beat to the rhythm of her, it always had. It had always been her. Her long brown hair framed her face, the loveliest thing he had ever seen. 

And suddenly, he remembered.

He could not go near the town's school without wanting to cry; it reminded his heart of its sole owner: Elizabeth.

Sawmills made him homesick because of Lee. 

Whenever he saw roses, his heart tightened for Rosemary.

When he saw Constable Andrews, he missed Bill, Doug, and his own uniform. 

When he ate at a restaurant, he always compared the food to Abigail's. 

When he saw a young boy helping his sister, he yearned for Cody and Becky. 

"I remember," he choked out before everything went black.

***

Elizabeth sat on the edge of Jack’s bed, the feeling so similar to when he had pneumonia. She didn’t know when he’d wake up, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t there when he did. 

His eyes fluttered open, his gaze hazily roaming its way onto her face.

“...Elizabeth,” he murmured. 

Instantly, she was by his side, clutching his hand. “Oh, Jack… I thought you were dead.”

“So did I. I wished I was. The pain, Elizabeth… oh, the pain. It felt like the whole world had fallen onto me, crushing every part of me, but I was lucky; my head wasn’t crushed, and I was able to dig a small bubble of air for myself, like you’re supposed to do in an avalanche, you know?” he said, his speech foggy and slow. Elizabeth hummed, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

“I don’t know how long I was under there; I don’t know how long I’ve been away, Elizabeth. How-”

“Five years, Jack,” whispered Elizabeth. “Five years.”

“Oh, Elizabeth. I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be, Jack, my love: you’re alive, and that is all that matters now, my dearest.”


	4. Chapter 4

On the way back to Hope Valley, Jack was unusually quiet. His eyes roamed from his wife’s face to his best friend’s, rediscovering them, as if he were waking from a dream in which he’d not been himself.

Then again, he hadn’t been himself. He would never be himself ever again, he would have to be someone else. He had to learn to be a husband again.

He briefly thought how comical he must look, his head whipping back and forth between them as their horses rode slowly, Jack on his own horse for the first time in years.

Somehow, it felt like yesterday.

Bill glared pointedly at Elizabeth, clearly trying to convince her to say something. “You have to tell him,” he hissed at her, not without kindness. His voice was thick and full of emotion, full of urgency as they slowly drew closer to Hope Valley, Jack beginning to recognize the changing patterns in the flora surrounding them.

“I know,” she hissed back. “It’s just so hard. I don’t know if I can.”

Jack frowned. From what he was beginning to piece back together in his mind, he didn’t recall Elizabeth ever being unable to talk to him. He hated eavesdropping on others’ conversations, but this seemed like too big of a deal to fret about politeness.

“Tell me what?” he said quietly, just loud enough to be heard by his wife.

Elizabeth’s head snapped towards him, her mouth slightly open. Not in surprise or in fright, but in an attempt to answer him.

“Let’s stop and rest for a while,” she said. “And then I’ll tell you, Jack.”

Silently, the trio slowed to a stop, and Bill took hold of the three horses, leaving Jack and Elizabeth to take a walk a few paces away.

Elizabeth took a deep breath.

“When you… died, it broke me. It was hard to function. I could barely breathe, let alone get up in the mornings. I was a shell of myself. But then, thanks to Clara, and Abigail, and Florence, and all the other women who had lost their husbands, I was able to build myself back up again, as much as I could. And then, the smell of coffe made me nauseous.”

At the memory, Elizabeth smiled fondly. “I ran out of Abigail’s café, and she followed me. Abigail,” she clarified at Jack’s confused expression. “She told me she recognized the signs. All of them. The tiredness, the nausea, everything. I was pregnant.”

Jack blinked. And blinked again. The last three words she’d uttered weren’t registering with him fully just yet. And then it hit him like a bull.

She had been _pregnant._ “You… you…” he stuttered, unable to repeat after her. Elizabeth took both his hands in hers.

“I was with child, Jack. Your child. I had something to live for once more, one last reminder of you, the love of my life.”

Jack exhaled shakily. “And…?”

Elizabeth laughed freely for the first time since they’d reunited. “It was a boy! I gave birth at Christmas with Abigail and Rosemary in the middle of nowhere after we, er, crashed Lee’s car,” she chuckled. Jack smiled with her.

“I named him Jack Junior, but everyone called him Baby Jack. That’s changed now, of course, we just call him Jack. But now that you’re back, I suppose we’ll all call him Jack Junior.”

Jack shook his head. “No, we should call him Jackie. That’s what I was called as a child.”

Elizabeth smiled brightly. “Jackie it is, then. Now, let us make haste,” she said, pulling on his hands. “I can’t wait for you to meet your son."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! It took me a while to get back to this story, I'm so sorry for the wait. I hope you liked it! I'm sorry (not sorry) for the kind-of-cliffhanger at the end, but if y'all are anything like me, y'all are suckers for them.  
> Kudos and comments mean the world to me!


	5. Chapter 5

Jack had been able to see the water tower from afar for a while now, and the closer they got to it, the more he itched to set Seargent into a gallop and get there – get to his Jackie – as soon as possibly done. Bill grinned as he recognized the signs of impatience in his friend.

“Maybe we can go faster now, Elizabeth?” he asked. The tall brunette nodded eagerly.

“Yes, I do believe we can.” And without further warning, she spurred her horse on faster. Thank goodness that Bill had thought of bringing three horses along with them as they boarded the stagecoach – he’d figured that it would take too long to wait for another coach.

Jack laughed loudly, spurring his own horse after her, Bill trailing behind in a futile attempt to catch up with the Thorntons.

For a while, it felt like flying. Seargent’s hooves barely touched the ground, and Jack inhaled as if it had been his first inhale in years. And maybe it had.

Living without Elizabeth just wasn’t living, breathing without her was like breathing with one lung cut in half. And now, as he watched her long hair fly in the wind, it was as if his lungs had repaired instanly, letting him take in all the air he’d been missing.

She was the sun, the moon, and the stars. She was the air he breathed, the light that showed him the path, she was everything.

And now, he couldn’t wait to meet his Jackie. Elizabeth was everything, but Jackie, even without meeting him, Jack knew that his son was so much more to him than words could possibly express. The only regret Jack felt in that precise moment was that he’d missed the first five years of his son’s life.

He’d missed first words, first steps, first drawings, but he’d be damned if he missed anything else. Jack Thornton had always dreamt of being a father, and now, he finally was.

The Hope Valley water tower stood tall as ever, protecting the town, welcoming Jack back where he belonged, back home with family and friends. Bill had finally caught up with them, and had insisted on riding forward to announce Jack’s arrival – the return of the king, of some sort.

Jack was almost frightened at the prospect of turning the corner and seeing all the people he could already hear, the clamoring, the clapping, the calling of his name. He dismounted, hands shaking, and Elizabeth, after following suit, comfortingly laid her head on his shoulder.

“They missed you almost as much as I did,” she said softly. “If you don’t want to see them right away, that’s fine, we can tell them we’re too tired from the ride.”

Jack shook his head. “No, I want to see them. I want to hold them. But… First, it needs to be Jackie.”

Elizabeth smiled the way he saw in his dreams before he could remember who she was. He had subconsciously committed her smile to memory for the rest of his days, and he was quite sure it was the only reason why he hadn’t gone mad from the loss of memory.

Pulling their horses along, the couple made their way around the corner, only to find what seemed to be the entire town gathered in the main street, right in front of Abigail’s café, going from there to the sheriff’s office, and past Lee’s office, down to the mercantile – the crowd spanned the whole of the street, and all he could see were smiles and all he could hear were laughs – and he was home.

Jack turned to Elizabeth, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I’m home, aren’t I?” he said in a whisper. His wife smiled back, broadly, and it was like the sun shining through stormy clouds. She nodded.

Bill briskly walked towards them, accompanied by a tall, young, blond boy holding a five-year-old.

Jack let out a small gasp. “Cody?” he murmured. The young man grinned.

“Hello, Mountie Jack,” he greeted him as if five years hadn’t flown by. “Ready?” he aimed at the toddler he held on his hip. The boy nodded eagerly.

Jack’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped open. He felt like a fish out of water with the way his mouth opened and closed, unable to let out words.

“Daddy?” said the little boy, holding out his hands towards Jack.

Instantly, Jack closed the gap between him and Cody, taking Jackie in his arms and twirling him around, revelling in his son’s crystal-clear giggles.

Here, in this moment, Jack was the happiest man on Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well! Aren't y'all lucky! Two chapters in as many days! Call the presses, the news, all of it!  
> I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
